


Setting Of A Blue-Green Sun

by GothMoth



Series: May's Phantastical Callings [3]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst, Blood, Blood and Gore, Death, Depression, Gen, Gore, Hurt No Comfort, Injury, Loneliness, Violence, breaking bones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 13:49:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19395445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothMoth/pseuds/GothMoth
Summary: There were many different timelines for Daniel that ClockWork didn’t care for, but this one was one he needed to watch. And so he did, over and over again. Because the master of time spent so much time alone, and this timeline is the catastrophic end result of being all alone.





	Setting Of A Blue-Green Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: angst, depression, loneliness, gore, blood, breaking bones, character death, hurt without comfort.   
> A setting sun, or sunset, is a euphemism for death.

ClockWork sees all the paths life might and might not take, and this is one he feels particularly saddened by. The one where Daniel was alone and always would be. No one was there when he half-died, no one was there to accidentally see him transform, and no one was there to keep him grounded. Sure there was no evil future to be found, whether that was because he was disconnected or because there wasn’t any future at all. ClockWork would fist fight Dan himself over sitting by idle at this once possible reality for his charge. 

ClockWork only watches it to remind him that he needs Daniel, more than Daniel needs him. To never ignore his friendship and mentorship to the halfa. So that this master of time will never be alone, because even he needs others company. And who better than a halfa who’s more of an embodiment of the sun and all the stars, than a single person. Grand friends for grander beings, though his Daniel was far too humble to call himself such. But things like them, in truth, needed something similar for a friend. Watching the screen only highlights this so, with how it makes it oh so clear that even this celestial child crumbles and falls, without a friendly face around. 

Watching Daniel take hit after hit, limp in form and blank-faced. It’s almost as if no one’s even home, numb. 

Watching all the papers label him as the strong and silent type, ClockWork knows it’s not strength; but rather that there’s no one to laugh at his jokes. So why bother telling them. 

Just like how there’s no one to fuss over his wounds, so why fix them. How he rarely sees his family, so there was no one to lie to. How he spent so much more time as a ghost and seemed to consider himself nothing more, after all, there was no one to remind him that he was human too. ClockWork can’t help but frown at the boys uncared for body, he didn’t have anyone to keep up appearances for. Clearly underweight, with bones jutting where they shouldn’t in clothing rarely washed and torn. 

What’s worse is watching him actively push away any attempts to get near him, he doesn’t know that anyone could actually survive the collateral of being his friend or lover; so he doesn’t let anyone be either one. 

Then there’s how it affects everyone else, The Red Huntress, so much more cruel and relentless. Having never known Daniels’ kindness or affection. This turned out so catastrophic for little Danielle, she was never saved. And Daniel didn’t even mourn, he just nodded, as if this was the only possible expected outcome for him, and left. He continued his ways with only a deepened frown to show of the loss. 

The Fenton parents, though worried, feared pushing their son away even further; the fact that he’d flinch at their every touch or slightly raised voice didn’t help. He behaved like a paranoid animal knowing it was in a slaughterhouse, because to him his house was more of a death trap than a home. And while the skies were taking the place of home to him, his family grew strained. Jasmine, resentful and failing to get her brother to let her in, instead chose to help herself. Leaving for Yale as soon as it was possible for her, what solidified her decision was that it took Daniel three days to even text her. Because he hadn’t even noticed, not at home enough to pick up on the absence. 

Then there was Vlad, who’s reaction ClockWork still struggled to understand. Where once he wanted Daniel and actively engaged with him, he now seemed put off and even disturbed by Daniel. Becoming even more aggressive in cloning rather than claiming, Daniel. 

The negatives on the ghost zone where far too numeral. Without his wit and carefree nature, he never rubbed off well on other ghosts. In this time, none came to him for advice or friendly sparring. Only to threaten and harm, and they were much more eager to harm. 

The halfas two friends where really the only ones to fair well. Though their friendship with Daniel became so thin it was near nonexistent, they were indeed safe and happy. Sometimes they missed their friend but they never faced any hardships. In a sense Daniel was right, anyone close to him would suffer. 

With a sigh, ClockWork shakes his head sadly, even he knows that suffering isn’t something to be feared. Better to suffer and gain, than to never know it in the name of fleeting safety. And for every person spared from believed collateral damage, young Daniel was left to absorb the blow; alone. 

And that’s exactly what he was doing right now, taking a hit from the ghost kings skeletons. Unlike in nearly every other timeline, he comes unaided. He’s got no suit and the ghosts see no reason to aid him, so he’s left to push through armies alone. 

That’s one thing ClockWork will give this timelines Daniel, he’s a lot stronger in battle. He’s more skilled in his powers and physically more capable. But that’s what happens when there’s no one to help take the hits or play doctor. That’s what happens when you don’t have anything but free time to train, because there’s no one to keep you company; to distract you with trivial things. 

ClockWork glances and smiles fondly at the chess board, the one that he’s played against his apprentice so many times on, ClockWork always felt lighter afterwards. 

Distractions really are a life necessity, else you get obsessed with everything else. ClockWork can see the effect of that in Daniels’ heightened paranoia, in his intense mistrust, and in the blatantly excessive and sleep depriving patrolling. What started as a necessary duty became a compulsively unending routine. Having never been stalled by movie nights or friend drama.

Turning back to the screen, he watches the battered halfa stand to face the king. ClockWork understands the impressed expression Pariah barely hides, Daniel is always so much more powerful than he knows. And even ClockWork can clearly see the power blazing in him through the screen, as if every sun had collided in one body; with the sole purpose of bringing forth the brightest shining being imaginable.

But even still the child’s body twitched with exhaustion, limbs merely hung limp; not caring to put on the show of a fighting stance. It was clear he expected to get hurt, tossed around and thrashed, he just couldn’t bring himself to really care. He’d bare it like always and get up. ClockWork frowns, as he knows that won’t be the case. 

He would cringe at the sight of his apprentice's leg getting snapped under the pressure of a column, if he hadn’t long since learned to perpetually school unintentional outward behaviours. Impressively though, as the fight goes on, he still finds himself in mild awe at such undeniable proof that Daniel was the stronger of the two. Even without any power-ups and after slogging through hordes, he beats down the king through sheer determination and might. 

But his body is run ragged, and his mind has long since been in that state; as he wails his fist down on the, shocked but resigned, king. Ultimately destroying the king before collapsing to the ground himself, bleeding out his unique red green sunlight glowing blood; across the tiled flooring. 

This is another show of just how much power is in such a tiny body, as ClockWork can plainly see the waves of ectoplasmic energy coming off of him, trying to latch on to any latent ectoplasm in the air, to keep its host alive. But unfortunately, this is Pariah’s keep. No ghosts linger here and even the zones energy avoids this place. Leaving nothing for the boy to cling to and feed off of. 

ClockWork watches heavily as his young charge, his little apprentice; seems to understand the situation. Muttering into the tiles with a faint chuckle, “oh... well then. I guess... this is a fitting place to just die”. The young boy doesn’t even seem sad, nor happy or even surprised. Like everything else he just accepts it and takes the blow; completely alone.

And ClockWork can tell, from looking into young Daniel’s eyes through the screen. That the sun of light was setting inside him, in no uncertain terms, was this a battered hero’s sunset. The end of a protectors endlessly watching sunlight. As the little saviour, a brutalised blue-green sun, finally fell from the skies to rest unseen forever more.

And the night air after his lights fall was nothing but cold, the cold of ice covering everything from a far too powerful and far too ravaged core of ice. Ice that had cracked and shattered too many times to count, that eventually couldn’t contain or support the brightest sun anymore; and had simply exploded outwards. 

On all his watch throughs, ClockWork finds he can never not whisper-sing to the screen at this point. To the sight of the shredded hemorrhaging sun that never last long enough to ever met the master of time, partly hoping his soft words were heard:

“Please allow your mind to be pacified 

Just rest and your pain will be blown away 

Let your worries be placed aside 

No one can hurt you now

But know all that you’ve accomplished 

Let yourself take a bow

Please calm your heart 

Just close your eyes, leave the battlefield behind

Let your heartache break apart

But grant you to know, you never had to fight your battles alone”

ClockWork switches off the screen as the sight of the partially dissolved corpse finally stills its leaking glow of blue-green sunlight, though it still paints everything around it in a red and green Collide-a-scope of a half-life barely lived. Of a sun cast down when it should have risen to blaze, the strongest to ever be seen. 

ClockWork turns to another image, the one of the most likely future. Not just likely but near certainly. One where he is needed as mentor no more, though he knows he’ll always play the role. As his now, not so small, halfa sits atop his throne. His laughter-filled blue-green sunlight eyes looking out across ghosts and humans as well. As comforting blue-green blazing sunlight of pure energy and power waves off him, to watch over the lands. Earth and zone alike, for he is both and he is not alone; and ClockWork swears he’ll never let him be. 

And in that promise, so too will ClockWork himself never be alone. As his charge, a massive sun contained inside a tiny impossible body, had sworn the same thing. And he always kept his promises. 

**End.**


End file.
